The University of Pittsburgh (commonly referred to as Pitt) is a
state-related research university located in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. It was founded as the Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on the
edge of the American frontier. It developed and was renamed as Western University of Pennsylvania by a change to its charter in 1819. After surviving two devastating fires and various relocations within the area, the school moved to its current location in the
Oakland neighborhood of the city; it was renamed as the University of Pittsburgh in 1908. Pitt was a private institution until 1966 when it became part of the
Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

The university has an annual operating budget of approximately $2 billion, which includes nearly $900 million in research and development expenditures. A member of the
Association of American Universities, Pitt is the third-largest recipient of federally sponsored health research funding among U.S. universities in 2018 and it is a major recipient of research funding from the
National Institutes of Health.[6] It is the second-largest non-government employer in the Pittsburgh region behind UPMC. Pitt is ranked among the top research universities in the United States in both domestic[7][8] and international rankings[9][10][11][12] and it has been listed as a "best value" in higher education by several publications.[13][14]

Pitt students have access to arts programs throughout the campus and city and can participate in over 400 student clubs and organizations. Pitt's varsity athletic teams, collectively known as the
Pittsburgh Panthers, compete in
Division I of the
NCAA, primarily as members of the
Atlantic Coast Conference.

History

Founding

Founded by
Hugh Henry Brackenridge as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is one of the few universities and colleges established in the 18th century in the United States. It is the oldest continuously chartered institution of learning in the U.S. west of the
Allegheny Mountains.[15] The school began as a preparatory school, presumably in a
log cabin, possibly as early as 1770[16] in Western Pennsylvania, then a frontier.[17] Brackenridge obtained a charter for the school from the state legislature of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 28, 1787, just ten weeks before the opening of the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.[18][19] A brick building was erected in 1790 on the south side of Third Street and Cherry Alley for the Pittsburgh Academy.[20][21] The small two-story brick building, with a gable facing the alley, contained three rooms: one below and two above.[22]

Western University of Pennsylvania

The university in 1833 at its location on 3rd Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh

Within a short period, more advanced education in the area was needed, so in 1819 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amended the school's 1787 charter to confer university status. The school was named the Western University of Pennsylvania, or WUP, and was intended to be the western sister institution to the
University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia.[19][23] By 1830, WUP had moved into a new three-story, freestone-fronted building, with Ionic columns and a cupola, near its original buildings fronting the south side of Third Street, between Smithfield Street and Cherry Alley in downtown Pittsburgh. By the 1830s, the university faced severe financial pressure to abandon its traditional liberal education in favor of the
state legislature's desire for it to provide more vocational training. The decision to remain committed to liberal education nearly killed the university, but it persevered despite its abandonment by the city and state.[24] It was also during this era that the founder of
Mellon Bank,
Thomas Mellon (Class of 1837), graduated and later taught at WUP.[25][20][21]

The university's buildings, along with most of its records and files, were destroyed in the
Great Fire of 1845 that wiped out 20 square blocks of Pittsburgh. Classes were temporarily held in
Trinity Church until a new building was constructed on Duquesne Way (on what was the site of the former
Horne's department store). Only four years later, in 1849, this building also was destroyed by fire. Due to the catastrophic nature of these fires, operations were suspended for a few years to allow the university time to regroup and rebuild. By 1854, WUP had erected a new building on the corner of Ross and Diamond (now Forbes Avenue) streets (site of the present day
City-County building) and classes resumed in 1855. It is during this era, in 1867, that
Samuel Pierpont Langley, astronomer, inventor, aviation pioneer and future Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution, was chosen as director of the
Allegheny Observatory that was donated to WUP in 1865. Langley was professor of astronomy and physics and remained at WUP until 1891, when he was succeeded by another prominent astronomer,
James Keeler. Growing quickly during this period, WUP outgrew its downtown facilities and the university moved its campus to
Allegheny City (present-day
North Side).[25][20][21]

The university eventually found itself on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site on the North Side's
Observatory Hill at the location of its
Allegheny Observatory. There, it constructed two new buildings, Science Hall and Main Hall, that were occupied by 1889 and 1890 respectively. During this era, the first collegiate football team was formed at Pitt in 1889. In 1892, the Western Pennsylvania Medical College was amalgamated into the university. By 1893, the university had graduated its first African-American, William Dammond.[26] In 1895 WUP established its School of Law, and
Andrew Carnegie and
George Westinghouse were elected to the Board of Trustees, where they joined
Andrew Mellon who had been elected in 1894. The Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy and Pittsburgh Dental School also joined the university in 1896. In 1898, the first women, sisters Margaret and Stella Stein, graduated from the university.[27] During this period, University engineering professor
Reginald Fessenden was conducting pioneering work in radio broadcasting. By 1904, playing at
Exposition Park, the university had its first undefeated football team.[25][20][21][28]

A new name and home

The
Cathedral of Learning, the centerpiece of Pitt's campus and the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere

Citing a need to avoid confusion, distinguish itself from the University of Pennsylvania, and return to its roots by identifying itself with the city, the Western University of Pennsylvania, by act of the state legislature, was renamed the University of Pittsburgh in the summer of 1908. During this time, the university had also outgrown its accommodations on what is now the North Side of Pittsburgh and its departments had been scattered throughout the city for years. To consolidate all of its components on one campus, WUP bought 43 acres (170,000 m2) of land in December 1907 in what is now the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and began relocating departments there by 1909.[29] The initial campus plan for the new location centered on the winning submission from a national architectural contest that incorporated a Greek Acropolis design by
Henry Hornbostel for 30 buildings.[30] However, due to financial and other constraints, only four of the buildings were constructed in this style, of which only
Thaw Hall remains today. In the fall of 1909, the university became the first college to adopt the
panther as its mascot.[31] It was also during this period that the university, led by Chancellor
Samuel McCormick, again held off pressures to abandon the school's commitment to liberal education in favor of more technical-based training. During his administration, McCormick also led the university into a new level of national recognition, expansion, and growth, as well as beginning institutional support of athletics.[30]

In the 1920s, new university chancellor
John Gabbert Bowman declared that he had a vision for a centerpiece "tall building" for the university. The 14 acres (5.7 ha) Frick Acres property in Oakland was soon purchased and plans for the campus shifted focus from the hillside to a neo-
Gothic Revival plan that today comprises the
Cathedral of Learning,
Heinz Memorial Chapel,
Stephen Foster Memorial, and
Clapp Hall buildings. By 1925, Bowman had settled on a design by
Charles Klauder for the "tall building": an attention-getting 535-foot (163 m) tower whose great height, with open spaces all around, would suggest the "character that ought to be in an educated man." The building's "parallel lines going up and up...would express courage [and] fearlessness" and it would "unify Pittsburgh into a community conscious of its character." The Cathedral is "cut off" flat at the top to suggest that its lines, like education, have no ending. The building was financed by donors and by a campaign to collect dimes from local school children. Bowman was a persuasive leader and although the
Great Depression intervened, the Cathedral of Learning, on which construction was begun in 1926, began hosting classes in 1931 and was formally dedicated in 1937. Today, it remains the second tallest university building in the world and contains an equally impressive interior highlighted by a half-acre (2,000 m²) Gothic hall Commons Room with 52-foot (16 m) tall arches currently surrounded by 30
Nationality Rooms. Seven more Nationality Rooms are in the making.[32]

Development of the polio vaccine

Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh.

In the early 20th century, epidemics of
polio began to hit the United States and other industrialized countries. As hospitals filled with patients in
iron lungs, and tens of thousands were left disabled, the fear of polio grew, leading to the closing of many public facilities. Meanwhile,
Dr. Jonas Salk had set up the University of Pittsburgh's Virus Research Lab in the basement of what is now
Salk Hall. By 1951, Salk and his team had begun immunization experiments in monkeys using dead polio virus. Soon, however, Salk began to test inoculations in paralyzed polio patients and by 1953 human trials among the general population were initiated. By the spring of the following year, the largest controlled field trials in medical history were underway, and by 1955 the
vaccine developed by Salk and his researchers was declared effective. By 1962, Salk's vaccine had reduced the incidence of polio in the United States by 95 percent. The breakthroughs in immunology and vaccine development at Pitt by Salk and his team are considered one of the most significant scientific and medical achievements in history.[33][34]

State relations to present day

In 1966, Pitt was designated by
Pennsylvania as a
state-related university. As such, Pitt receives public funds ($154.3 million in fiscal year 2016) covering about 7% of its operating budget,[35] and offers reduced tuition to Pennsylvania residents. Pitt retains independent control, but is typically categorized as a public university. Upon affiliation with the state, subsidized tuition led to a massive influx of new students and rapid expansion of Pitt's size and scope. In the 1970s, Pitt's football team returned to greatness with a national championship season in 1976 led by
Hall of Fame running back
Tony Dorsett and continued success in the 1980s with players such as
Hall of Fame quarterback
Dan Marino. In the 1980s, significant medical research in the field of
organ transplantation was conducted by
Thomas Starzl, establishing Pitt as the world leader in the field of organ transplantation. In 1991, chancellor
Wesley Posvar retired after 24 years in office. His administration is best known for elimination of the university's debt from its 1960s financial crisis and for increasing the school's prestige and endowment. Under Posvar, Pitt's operating budget grew sevenfold to $630 million and its endowment tripled to $257 million.[36]

Mark Nordenberg was chancellor of the university from 1995 to 2014 and led Pitt through a period of substantial progress, including a $2-billion capital-raising campaign that is over three quarters of the way toward achieving its goal[37] and a $1-billion 12-year facilities plan.[38] Major initiatives and events that have occurred during his tenure include the construction of the
Petersen Events Center, a major expansion of on-campus housing, the growth of the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the restructuring of its relationship with the university, and a series of
disruptive bomb threats that occurred in 2012.

Regional campuses

Regional campuses offer master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees at four locations in
Western Pennsylvania. They also allow students to take preliminary courses and relocate to other regional campuses or the Oakland campus to complete their degrees. They offer several degrees and certificates:

Community impact

The University of Pittsburgh has been noted for both its role in community outreach and its impact on the economy of the city and the
Western Pennsylvania region. In 2009, Pitt was ranked second overall, and the top public university in the nation, as a "Best Neighbor" for positive impact on its urban community, including both commercial and residential activities such as revitalization, cultural renewal, economics, and community service and development according to the "Saviors of Our Cities" ranking.[70] Pitt was also listed as a "best neighbor" in the previous ranking released in 2006.[71] These rankings reflect the statistics that each year Pitt spends more than $1.7 billion in the community and supports nearly 33,800 jobs in
Allegheny County. The university is the Pittsburgh region's second largest non-government employer behind its affiliated
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).[72] Pitt's research program alone imports more than $822 million into the region each year (more than $3.60 for each $1 of state appropriations), and supports some 23,100 local jobs.[73][20][29] Pitt students also spend more than $213 million on goods, services, and rental payments within the local economy.[74] Pitt ranked sixth in the number of startups spawned by technologies developed by its researchers according to
Association of University Technology Managers.[75]

Pitt and its
medical school are the academic partners of the closely affiliated the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. With over 55,000 employees and $10 billion in annual revenue, UPMC is the largest non-government employer in Pennsylvania.[76]

Through the Pitt Volunteer Pool, faculty and staff members donate more than 10,000 hours annually to community service projects for agencies such as the Salvation Army, Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Pitt is a leading producer of
Peace Corps volunteers.[74][77] According to the Peace Corps' 2008 ranking of colleges and universities, only 14 schools in the nation produced more Peace Corp volunteers.[78] Pitt's graduate school also ranked 10th for most alumni Peace Corps volunteers.[79]

The university was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1787 and it operated as a fully private institution until an alteration to its charter in 1966 at which point it became part of the
Commonwealth System of Higher Education. This conferred "state-related" status to the university making it a legal instrument of the Commonwealth which provides an annual financial appropriation, currently 7.7% of the university's total operating budget,[80] in exchange for the university offering tuition discounts to students who are residents of Pennsylvania. Legally, however, the university remains a private entity, operating under its nonprofit corporate charter, governed by its independent Board of Trustees, and with its assets under its own ownership and control. Therefore, it retains the freedom and individuality of a private institution, both administratively and academically, setting its own standards for admissions, awarding of degrees, faculty qualifications, teaching, and staff hiring.[c]

The university's board of trustees maintains ultimate legal authority, governance, and responsibility for the university but specifically reserves authority over selecting the university's Chancellor; approval of major policies, particularly those related to the fiduciary responsibilities of the board; and the definition of the university's mission and goals. It is made up of 36 voting members: Chancellor, 17 Term Trustees elected by the board, 6 Alumni Trustees elected by the board on nomination from the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and 12 Commonwealth trustees. The
Governor of Pennsylvania, the President Pro Tempore of the
Pennsylvania Senate, and the Speaker of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives each appoints four of the 12 Commonwealth trustees. Additional non-voting trustees include 14 Special Trustees and additional Emeritus Trustees selected by the board. Non-voting ex-officio members include the Governor of Pennsylvania, the
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Chief Executive of
Allegheny County, and the
Mayor of Pittsburgh. There are three or more regular meetings of the Board of Trustees per year.[85]

The Board of Trustees selects the university's Chancellor, who doubles as the chief academic officer and the chief executive of the university as well as serving as an ex officio voting member of the Board of Trustees. The Chancellor is delegated with general administrative, academic, and management authority over the university. Under the Chancellor are the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, the deans of the various schools, the presidents of the regional campuses, department chairs, and the directors of University centers and institutes.[85] The university is accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[3]

Academics

Throughout its history, Pitt has been committed to a liberal arts education with a well-rounded curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities.[24] Pitt has an increasing emphasis on undergraduate research experience and for providing real-world opportunities such as co-ops and internships.[86] Undergraduate degrees can be earned as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Philosophy. Along with providing certificate programs, graduate level master's, professional, and doctoral degrees are also awarded. Pitt has also initiated a University-wide Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC) that includes a structured series of extracurricular programs and experiences designed to complement students' academic studies and help develop personal attributes and professional skills.[87] Students who complete the OCC requirements receive an OCC "transcript" and a green cord of distinction to wear at commencement.[88] Pitt also emphasizes excellence in teaching and public education by its graduate students through offering several free workshops and certification programs such as a pedagogy certification badge[89] and a semester-long public education mentorship program.[90]

The freshman level entry schools include the
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing.

International studies

Pitt's history of commitment to international education is illustrated by its unique collection of 30
Nationality Rooms on the first and third floors of the
Cathedral of Learning. As a further demonstration of this commitment, Pitt is one of the country's leading producers of both Fulbright scholars and Peace Corps volunteers[74][91] and one of fewer than 20 American universities to claim five or more area studies programs that have been competitively designated as National Resource Centers by the
U.S. Department of Education.[92]

The
University Center for International Studies (UCIS) coordinates international education curricula, centers on topical specializations in international studies, and the centers for area studies, including the National Resource Centers, among existing faculty and departments throughout the university. It does not confer degrees, but awards certificates of attainment to degree candidates in the university's schools and also operates certificate programs in African Studies (undergraduate) and in Global Studies (undergraduate & graduate).[97] UCIS also operates the Study Abroad Office,[98] Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs.[99]

Pitt's study abroad program, under the auspices of UCIS, helps to facilitate student study in over a hundred different countries, and oversees a variety of programs including the Panther Programs, which are course taught abroad that have been developed and are accompanied by faculty of the university; two-way exchange agreements with foreign institutions; and Pitt-recognized, third-party exchange programs.[100] The university also offers several study abroad scholarships, including those through the Nationality Rooms program.[101] In addition, following the decision to end a 24-year sponsorship of the
Semester at Sea program due to academic, administrative and safety concerns,[102] Pitt has created a Multi-region Academic Program (PittMAP) that involves international travel, accompanied by university faculty, to three different continents for the comparative study of one of six rotating global study themes.[103][104] Further, Pitt's
Swanson School of Engineering has also established a joint engineering institute and program with
Sichuan University in
Chengdu,[105] and Pitt's
School of Medicine has established an exchange program for biomedical research students with
Tsinghua University in
Beijing, China.[106]

In its 2019 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Pitt 26th in comparison to other
public universities in the United States and tied for 70th among all national universities.[8]Princeton Review placed Pitt among its "Best Value Public Colleges",[14] while Kiplinger rated Pitt the best value in Pennsylvania and thirty-sixth best nationally for out-of-state students among public universities in their 2016 rankings.[13] The 2017 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings of American universities ranked Pitt 75th overall, and the No. 1 public college in the Northeast.[115]

In worldwide evaluations of universities, Newsweek ranked Pitt 37th in its "The Top 100 Global Universities."[116] Pitt ranked 43rd worldwide in the 2017 Center for World University Rankings.[117] Pitt is also ranked 90th worldwide (and 42nd in the U.S.) in the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities. Pitt ranked 100th globally in the 2017/18 QS World University Rankings. Pitt ranks 25th of all universities in the world for the impact and performance of its 2016 scientific public publications according to the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities produced by the
Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT).[12] Pitt ranks as the 42nd best higher education research institution worldwide according to
SCImago Institutions Rankings' 2016 World Report.[118] Other world rankings include 29th in the world in the latest ranking by the Research Center for Chinese Science Evaluation at
Wuhan University,[119] 42nd in the world in the 2017
Webometrics rankings,[120] and 42nd in the world according to both the 2006 G-Factor International University Ranking[121] as well as the
Russian-based 2009 Global University Ranking.[11]

In addition to its academic rankings, Pitt has also been recognized for its positive campus atmosphere, with
The Princeton Review rating Pitt as having the 8th happiest student body and the 11th best quality of life in the nation in 2010.[122]

The 52 feet (16 m) high, half acre (2,000 m²)
Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning serves as a major study and event space for the university and its students.

Many of university's individual schools, departments, and programs are highly regarded in their particular field as evidenced by the number of Pitt programs that were ranked in the latest
National Research Council rankings.[123] Particularly well regarded programs include Pitt's Department of Philosophy, which has long been renowned in the U.S. and worldwide, and is especially strong in the areas of mathematical and philosophical logic, metaphysics, history and philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of mind and psychology, and semantics.[124][125]

Pitt's law school faculty has been ranked 21st in the nation based upon standard objective measures of scholarly impact.[130] Overall Pitt's
Law School is ranked 63rd by The Law School 100,[131] is listed among the nation's top law schools by The Princeton Review,[132] and is ranked 74th in 2018 by U.S. News & World Report.[133][134]

Pitt is home to the Gertrude E. and John M. Petersen Institute of
NanoScience and Engineering, which was ranked second in the nation in 2006 for microscale and nanoscale research by the leading global trade publication, Small Times. Pitt also has a recognized program in
radio-frequency identification device (RFID) technology, with its research program rated among the top three in the world, along with MIT and the University of Cambridge in England.[136]

Research

Pitt, one of 62 elected members of the
Association of American Universities, had $899 million in research and development expenditures in 2011, ranking 10th among all universities in the United States.[148] Of that amount, $663 million was received from federal sources, the fifth largest amount of federal research sponsorship among universities and the third most among public universities.[148][149] Pitt ranked in the top 25 of all universities in the world for the impact and performance of its scientific public publications, including in the top ten for clinical medicine, according to the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities produced by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan.[12] Pitt is also ranked 29th in the world based on Essential Science Indicators according to the Research Center for Chinese Science Evaluation of
Wuhan University.[119] Pitt places much emphasis on undergraduate research and has integrated such research experience as a key component of its undergraduate experience.[86]

Pitt is a major center of biomedical research; in FY 2013, it ranked sixth in the nation in competitive peer-reviewed
NIH funding allocations,[6] and the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ranked 10th among hospitals nationwide by USNews in 2013.[150]

Pitt neighbors the campus of
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and in some cases, buildings of the two universities are intermingled. This helps to facilitate a myriad of academic and research collaborations between the two schools,[151] including such projects as the
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, the
Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, the Immune Modeling Center, the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, the
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, as well as the National Science Foundation-supported Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center.[152][153] Further, the universities also offer multiple dual and joint degree programs such as the
Medical Scientist Training Program, the Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology Graduate Program, and the Law and Business Administration program. Some professors hold joint professorships between the two schools, and students at each university may take classes at the other (with appropriate approvals).[154] Pitt students and faculty also have access to the CMU library system, as well as the
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, through the Oakland Library Consortium.[155] The two universities also co-host academic conferences, such as the 2012 Second Language Research Forum.[156]

Student life

Housing

Litchfield Towers

Undergraduate student housing comprises both traditional residence halls and apartment style housing. On the lower campus, the three cylindrical towers of the
Litchfield Towers complex houses the most students on campus and contains the primary dining facility for the university. The
Schenley Quadrangle, originally serving as one of city's most desirably luxury apartment complexes, comprises five separate residence halls: Amos, Brackenridge, Bruce, Holland, and McCormick. Bruce Hall houses many
Honors College and Living and Learning Community (LLC) students, Holland Hall serves as an all female residence, and Amos Hall serves as the primary home of the university's sororities with each floor being occupied by a different Greek organization.
Ruskin Hall is located near
Clapp Hall and the
biological complex. Completed in 2013,
Nordenberg Hall is the newest residence hall houses freshmen.
Forbes Hall, located on Forbes Avenue, houses mainly freshmen involved in LLCs (Living Learning Communities).
Lothrop Hall, originally built as a nursing student residence, houses students on the
medical center complex.
Bouquet Gardens offers garden style apartments mostly to upperclassmen. The Forbes Craig Apartments serve as the primary residence for Honors College students.

Sutherland Hall on the upper campus is named for legendary Pitt football coach
Jock Sutherland.

The upper campus houses
Sutherland Hall, home of several Living Learning Communities, as well as
Panther Hall and
Irvis Hall, which mainly house upperclassmen. Various fraternity housing is also found on the upper campus, as well as the Darragh Street Apartments which house medical students within a short walk to medical school's
Scaife Hall.

Many students, especially upperclassmen, also choose to live off campus in the nearby
South Oakland neighborhood in both university and non-university owned apartments.

Traditions

Several traditions have become part of student life at Pitt over the years. One of the oldest traditions is "Lantern Night", an annual ceremony that serves as a formal induction for freshman women to university life.[80][71] The tradition of sliding or stepping on the former home plate of
Forbes Field embedded in the floor of
Posvar Hall is performed by students in search of some good luck.[157][158][159][160] Another good luck tradition involves rubbing the nose of the
Millennium Panther outside the
William Pitt Union prior to exams.[161] Originated by students seeking good luck on exams, this tradition has further grown into one that is used by the wider university community when seeking general good fortune, particularly prior to football games or other athletic contests, and was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012
Hyundai Tucson automobile.[162] A romantic tradition involves the legend stating that if lovers kiss on the steps of
Heinz Memorial Chapel, they are then destined to be married there.[163] Perhaps the most prestigious tradition involves the Omicron Delta Kappa Walk, a stone walkway between the
Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Chapel that contains the engraved names of Pitt's
Omicron Delta Kappa Senior of the Year award winners. The walk is the only one of its kind in the country.[164]

Annual traditional events include "Fall Fest",[25] and in the spring, "Bigelow Bash". These festivals are held by the Pitt Program Council between the
William Pitt Union and the Cathedral of Learning and involve a range of activities, novelties, and bands.[165] Related to graduation, there is Honors Convocation, where awards and recognition are bestowed upon students, faculty, alumni, and staff throughout the schools and departments of the university.[60] Also, the "Panther Sendoff" is a free annual reception typically held in
Alumni Hall to congratulate each year's graduating class and wish them well.[166] A free event open to the public, the
Nationality Rooms Open House occurs on a Sunday in early December each year in the Cathedral of Learning and involves the presentation of the rooms decorated in traditional holiday styles, day-long performances of dance and song by various ethnic groups, and food and crafts from many of the nationality room's committees.[167]

Varsity Walk

Traditions related to athletics include the "Victory Lights", where golden flood lights illuminate the top of the Cathedral of Learning after every football victory and select other athletic achievements.[168][169][170] The Annual Bonfire and Pep Rally which is hosted by the Pitt Program Council and is held prior to a select football game. Held on the lawn of the
Cathedral of Learning, it often involves the band, cheerleaders, football team, visiting dignitaries, and giveaways.[168][171] Homecoming, which revolves around another home football game each year, includes a traditional fireworks and a laser-light display between the
William Pitt Union and the
Cathedral of Learning.[172] This is followed by Casino Night in the union, the football game, and a homecoming cruise on a
Gateway Clipper Party Liner.[173][174][175] At football games, the "Football Tunnel" occurs where student organizations, carrying
standards, form a tunnel for the football players to run through as they enter the football field from the locker room;[176] The Varsity Walk, a walkway between the
Cathedral of Learning and
Heinz Memorial Chapel, is carved each year the names of former Pitt athletes (each year since 1950) who have promoted the university through their athletic (Panther Award) or academic (Blue-Gold Award) achievements.[177]

"Greek Week" is a yearlong initiative for the Greek organizations on campus to raise money for different charitable organizations through different events. The two biggest events each year are the Pitt Dance Marathon and Greek Sing. Yearlong fundraising activities are also held to support such charitable organizations such as the
Ronald McDonald House,
Make a Wish Foundation,
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and the Pittsburgh Food Bank.[178] "E-Week" is a spring celebration organized by the Engineer Student Council for a week-long series of activities and competitions to demonstrate engineering skills and foster a spirit of camaraderie. Activities include games such as Monopoly, Ingenuity, Jeopardy, Assassins, and include a talent show, relay race, mini-Olympics, and blood drive. The festivities reach climax with a parade on Friday, a soapbox derby on Saturday, and the "e-ball finale" on Saturday evening. Each year, a unique theme is chosen. Each engineering department competes against the others, while some smaller departments join forces.[179][180]

Student theater

Various student theater groups convene at Pitt.
University of Pittsburgh Stages is the production company of the Department of Theatre Arts which puts public student performances of classic masterpieces, contemporary productions, and student-directed labs. It also runs the Shakespeare-in-the-Schools which tours classic theater for K-12 students throughout the Pittsburgh area.[183]Friday Nite Improvs, Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show, was started in 1989 by graduate theatre students. It takes place weekly inside the
Cathedral of Learning's studio theatre.[184] The Redeye Theatre Project is a festival of one-act plays cast, written, and rehearsed in 24 hours.[185] Pitt Musical Theater Club provides undergraduates the opportunity to perform in student-directed variety shows and musicals. The club was founded in 2009.[186]

Student music

The
Pitt Men's Glee Club, founded in 1890, is the oldest extracurricular club on campus.[187] The club includes both undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the university. Traditionally, the Glee Club has sung for a variety of campus-wide and community functions, including graduations, receptions, alumni gatherings, sporting events, and chancellor's events. The Glee Club has also participated in national Collegiate Men's Choir festivals and international tours and music festivals in both the United States and Europe.[187]Heinz Chapel Choir is an accomplished and internationally known[188]a cappella choir consisting entirely of Pitt students that has been performing for over 70 years.[189] The University of Pittsburgh Women's Choral Ensemble, founded in 2011, is open to all women of the university including undergraduates, graduate students, and staff. The ensemble leads the traditional lamplighter processional each fall and performs repertory ranging from traditional sacred and secular classics to international folk songs, popular music, and show tunes.[190]

Pitt Pendulums, founded in 1996, is a co-ed a cappella group, the oldest a cappella group on campus. Other a cappella groups on campus include C Flat Run, a co-ed group; Pittch Please, an all-male group; Pitches and Tones, a co-ed group; The Songburghs, a co-ed group; and Sounds Like Treble, an all-female group. All groups on campus regularly perform in various on and off-campus functions and are regular competitors in the ICCA's, the
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Pittch Please achieved the best result of a Pitt group in the ICCAs, taking first place at the Great Lakes Quarterfinals in 2015.[191] Carpathian Ensemble, founded within the Department of Music in 1786, performs
Gypsy,
Klezmer,
Armenian,
Moldavian,
Ukrainian, and
Macedonian music.[192] The University Gamelan, established in 1995, is the largest Sundanese gamelan program in the U.S. and has sponsored an artist-in-residency program each year since 1998.[193]

The University of Pittsburgh Orchestra performs several concerts and consists of music students, students from the university at large, faculty, staff, and members of the metropolitan community. The orchestra performs not only works of the standard art music literature, but also new works of student composers.[194] Pitt Jazz Ensemble, founded in 1969 by saxophonist
Dr. Davis, has performed internationally.[195] Pitt African Music and Dance Ensemble, founded in 1983 by a Ghanaian ethnomusicologist Dr. Willie O. Anku, specializes in music and dances from Africa. Under the direction of J. S. Kofi Gbolonyo, it presents a range of African artistic expressions including music, dance, drama and visual arts.[196]Pitt Band, founded in 1911, is the varsity marching band of the University of Pittsburgh and performs at various athletic and other University events.[197]

Student media

WPTS-FM is a non-commercial radio station owned by the University of Pittsburgh, and offers a mix of student-run programming. The station operates at 92.1
MHz with an
ERP of 16 watts, and is licensed to Pittsburgh.[198]

JURIST is the world's only law-school-based, comprehensive, legal news and research service staffed by a mostly volunteer team of part-time law student reporters, editors and Web developers. It is led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Law.[199]

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written, and student-managed newspaper for the university's Oakland (main) campus. Founded in 1908, it is now published Monday through Friday during the school year and Wednesdays during the summer. It circulates 14,000 copies for each issue published.[200]

The Pittiful News[201] is an independent, student-founded, student-written, student-managed, and student-produced satirical and humor newspaper. It comes out on the last Friday of each month during the school year in print and throughout the entire calendar year online.[202]

UPTV (University of Pittsburgh Television) is a student-managed, student-produced, closed-circuit television station. Students living in campus residence halls or university operated-housing can view programming on Channel 21.[203]

Three Rivers Review and Collision are undergraduate, bi-annual, literary journals publishing both poetry and prose.[204]

Pitt Tonight earned the university its first College Emmy nominations in 2016.

Pitt Political Review is a student-created, student-written publication of the University Honors College. PPR, as it is called, provides a venue for serious discussion of politics and policy issues in a nonpartisan way.[206]

Blackline is a student-created, student-written publication of the Black Action Society. Blackline features both news articles and creative pieces such as poetry to call attention to problems, programs, and activities that affect Black students at Pitt.[207]

The Original Magazine is a nonprofit, semiannual arts and culture publication based at, and partially funded by, the University of Pittsburgh, that aims to both bring and publicize accessible art and creative writing to Pittsburgh.[208]

Student organizations

There are over 350 student clubs and organizations at the University of Pittsburgh.[218] Some of the larger ones are:

Behavioral Economics Club is one of the first student organizations in a major university devoted entirely to the topic of behavioral economics. The group is composed of undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines such as economics, finance, psychology, actuarial mathematics, statistics, and marketing.

Black Action Society is the recognized student organization for promoting the cultural, educational, political, and social needs of black students at the university. It comprises nine committees including the publication of the student-run publication BlackLine as well as community outreach, political action, and programing.[219] BAS has hosted lectures by such figures as
Cornel West,[220]Spike Lee,[221] and
Carol Moseley Braun.[222]

Blue and Gold Society, founded in 1991, is a group of undergraduate student leaders chosen as liaisons between the student community and the Pitt Alumni Association.[223]

Catholic Newman Club, founded in 1915, is the third oldest existing student organization on campus.[224] The club works in conjunction with the
Pittsburgh Oratory of Saint Philip Neri - which offers daily mass and confession times as well as perpetual Eucharistic adoration[225] - and the
Fellowship of Catholic University Students to provide events that offer students a deeper look into the Catholic faith. Students often engage in service opportunities with various charitable organizations.

Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) is the student government that represents the interests of all graduate and professional students and serves as the umbrella organization for all of the graduate/professional school student governments. GPSG's mission is to ensure that the concerns of these students are heard and also provides services and programs such travel grants, legal and financial consulting, and social functions.[226]

Hillel: Jewish Student Union (JSU) is a pluralistic Jewish community that serves all Pitt undergraduates. Programs take place on campus and at the Hillel Jewish University Center at 4607 Forbes Avenue. Events include holiday, interfaith, Jewish education, social action, arts and cultural programming as well as no-fee weekly Shabbat services and dinner every Friday night.[227]

Oakland Zoo, the student athletic cheering section, is an officially recognized student club. At over 2,000 members, it is the largest such group at the university. The group helps participate with the Athletic Department and Pitt Student Government Board in setting student ticket policy as well as organizing special student events.[228]

The Pitt Pathfinders, student recruiters employed by the Office of Admissions of Financial Aid. They recruit prospective students by giving campus tours, attending on-and-off campus recruitment programs, and by contacting admitted students through phone and the Internet. While Pathfinder is a paid position, it is also a student organization.[229]

Pitt Program Council is the all-campus programming organization at the university. Comprising eight student committees, a variety of programs and festivities are planned and sponsored including Fall Fest, Bigelow Bash, Homecoming Laser and Fireworks Show, as well as trips to New York City, Cedar Point, Spring break in Panama City Beach, FL. Other activities include art gallery exhibits, films, horseback riding, sports tournaments, lectures, fitness and dance classes, and Black and White Ball.[230]

Student Government Board (SGB) is the governing body that provides undergraduate students with representation to the university administration, presenting their needs, interests, and concerns. An important aspect of the SGB is allocation of the student activities fee, which provides money to over 350 student organizations at the University of Pittsburgh. The SGB has ten standing committees that address various aspects of campus life, including diversity, freshman involvement, and governmental relations.[231]

Rainbow Alliance is a student advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied students. Among other activities, the group holds an annual drag show to raise money for Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.[233]

University of Pittsburgh Mock Trial is a yearlong extracurricular activity open to Pitt undergraduates that provides an opportunity to practice litigation through a series of team-based
mock trial competitions. Pitt Mock Trial has qualified for American Mock Trial Association post-season tournaments each of the last six years,[when?] finishing in the fifth overall place at the 2008 National Championship Tournament.[234][235]

William Pitt Debating Union is a co-curricular program and hub for a wide range of debating activities, including intercollegiate policy debate, public debate, and debate outreach. The program was 1981
National Debate Tournament champions,[236] has qualified for the National Debate Tournament 40 times,[237] and is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the nation, growing from the university's Division of Public Speaking in 1912.[238]

Scholastically, during 2012 calendar year, out of approximately 450 Pitt varsity student athletes, 350 had term grade point averages exceeding 3.0, including 16 that had a perfect average of 4.0, and 174 were named
Big East Conference Academic All-Stars or placed on the all-academic Big East football team.[243]

There are also approximately 28 additional athletic teams that compete at the non-varsity club sports level.[244]

In the fall of 1909, the University of Pittsburgh was the first college or university to adopt the panther (Puma concolor) as its mascot.[31] Popular as photo sites, there are
ten representations of Panthers in and about Pitt's campus, and ten more painted fiberglass panthers placed around the campus by the Pitt Student Government. These fiberglass panther structures are given to a campus group for a year and painted by the group to reflect their interests.[250] The oldest representations are four panthers that guard each corner of the Panther Hollow bridge.[251] Other Oakland locations include both inside and in front of the William Pitt Union,[252][253] outside the Petersen Events Center,[254] "Pitt the Panther" on the carousel in Schenley Plaza,[255] the Panther head fountain on the front of the Cathedral of Learning, and the Pitt Panther statue outside Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Side.[256]

Basketball

Pitt first sponsored varsity
men's basketball in 1905 and became an early national power after winning two Helms Foundation National Championships in 1927–28 and 1929–30. Those teams, coached by the innovative and legendary
Naismith Hall of Fame inductee
"Doc" Carlson, were led by National Player of the Year and Hall of Famer
Charlie Hyatt. Following a
Final Four appearance in 1941, Pitt appeared in a handful of NCAA tournaments throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1974 led by All-American
Billy Knight. Pitt joined the Big East Conference in 1982, and by the end of the decade had secured a pair of Big East regular season championships led by All-Americans
Charles Smith and
Jerome Lane. In the 2000s (decade), led by coach
Jamie Dixon, an era of consistent national and conference competitiveness has been achieved, including reaching the number one ranking in various national polls. Since 2002, Pitt has appeared in eleven NCAA tournaments advancing to five Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight. During this time, prior to joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013, Pitt and has won three Big East regular season championships, two Big East Tournament Championships, and has advanced to six Big East Tournament Championship games.[260]

Olympic sports

Pitt has a long history of success in other intercollegiate athletic events. In
Track and Field, Pitt has produced several Olympic and NCAA champions such as 800 m Olympic gold medalist
John Woodruff, two-time 110 m hurdle Olympic gold medalist
Roger Kingdom, and seven-time NCAA champion and 2005 World Champion
triple jumperTrecia-Kaye Smith.[262] The
wrestling program has a rich history and is among the leaders in producing individual national champions with 16.[263] Pitt's
women's volleyball team, one of the winningest program in the nation,[264] won 11 conference championships while a member of the
Big East, and appeared in 11 NCAA tournaments since the program began in 1974.[265] Pitt's
swimming and diving teams have produced several Olympians and won 19 men's and nine women's Big East Championships while a member of that conference. Pitt
women's gymnastics is a regular qualifier for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.[266]Baseball, Pitt's oldest varsity sport, has produced several major league players and has reached the national 25 repeatedly, including in 2013.[267] Other varsity sports have also competed at national and conference championships and include
cross country,
soccer,
softball, and
tennis.[240][268]

There have been
31 university heads for the University of Pittsburgh. Beginning in the institution's academy days, the head of the school was referred to as Principal, a title that was retained until 1872 when it was changed to Chancellor by an alteration to the university's charter. This title of Chancellor has lasted except for a brief change during Wesley Posvar's administration when it was transiently switched to President.[271]

See also

Notes

^This figure reflects the total number of faculty at the Pittsburgh campus only. 391 additional faculty serve the four regional campuses for a university-wide total of 5,271 faculty members.

^This enrollment figure reflects the total headcount of full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students attending classes at the University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus in Fall 2014 only. An additional 6,317 full-time and part-time undergraduate students attend the university across the four regional campuses for a university-wide headcount of 34,934 total students, 24,217 of which are undergraduates.

^Upon joining the
Commonwealth System of Higher Education in 1966, the University of Pittsburgh legally remained a private entity and in practice, retained the administrative and academic freedom of a private institution. It sets its own standards for student admission and retention, faculty, and teaching. Its assets remain in the hands of the corporation, its employees are employed by the corporation, and its affairs are governed by an independent Board of Trustees.[81] In-state tuition is subsidized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state provides approximately 11% of its operating budget.[82] The University of Pittsburgh is categorized as a
public university in the
Carnegie Foundation Classifications[83] and is typically listed as a public university in third party publications.[84] For simplicity, Pitt sometimes refers to itself a "public university".

^"Married".
Time. November 26, 1951. Retrieved April 27, 2008. Vladimir Zworykin, 62, Russian-born, Russian-trained physicist, the "father of television," who developed the iconoscope (eye) of the TV camera in 1923